Mother, May I?
by Galadriadhar
Summary: Gracie's mother wasn't the most supportive type, but Gracie still felt guilty. She wasn't quite sure why, though...
1. Chapter 1

MOTHER, MAY I?

Gracie stepped back from the display stand, put her hoofs on her hips, and nodded in satisfaction. Her new designer shirt stood there, in all its glory, with cuffed sleeves, a popped collar, and multicolored buttons on a pale green and blue fractal design. Rummaging in a bag that sat next to her, Gracie pulled out a tag and stuck it onto the display stand: " _Lu Fractalis_ , Number 3 in the _Lu Elis_ line." A smile snuck its way onto her face at the sight of it.

 _These are the times I live for_ , the giraffe thought to herself. She kept admiring the shirt until a crash from downstairs snapped her out of her reverie. Voices floated up to where she stood; she recognized the voices as belonging to the Nookling brothers.

"What happened, Timmy? Oh, boy…"

"Sorry about that."

Shaking her head, Gracie picked up her bag and walked across the floor to the back room of her floor of the store. _T &T Emporium _boasted the finest selection of goods- household and otherwise- in Ebony Sands, and was the home of _GracieGrace_ , the specialty shop that Gracie ran. _GracieGrace_ took up the top floor of the _Emporium_ , and despite how many stairs visitors had to climb, it did brisk business. Yes, since Kicks had become friendlier Gracie hadn't moved as many pairs of shoes, but that didn't mean she was losing money.

In the back room, Gracie put her bag on a stool and picked up a cup of hot chocolate. She tested the temperature and, finding it a bit too hot, blew gently on it while she looked over some papers. Then, sipping every so often, she studied the papers more. The papers detailed the next items in the _Lu Elis_ line of clothing she was creating, but they weren't quite complete yet. Gracie grabbed a pencil and started making some notes to herself on the papers that needed changes or finishing.

The final paper in the stack was a modified version of the mod shirt she had created. It boasted a different color scheme than the mod shirt did, with yellow and red and white plaid instead of the original color scheme. The collar was embroidered in a herringbone style, as opposed to the mod shirt's two-line style. All in all, this new shirt was classier. Gracie was planning on calling it the _Lu Sissel_ , after Mayor Sissel.

Mayor Sissel was the only reason she was even in Ebony Sands. When Gracie had come through on her way to Larkrich, she had promised herself that she wouldn't be there long enough to be disgusted with the backwater town's fashion sense. Unfortunately, Mayor Sissel knew everything that happened in Ebony Sands and met her at the plaza. She was sitting on the brick wall that surrounded the great tree, enjoying the breeze, when he appeared.

He was wearing a long-sleeved white t-shirt underneath a black plaid long-sleeved button-up, with a pair of khakis to round out the image. A pencil was tucked behind his ear, and a blue plaid fedora sat at a tilt on his head. Gracie had been thunderstruck; never had she expected such daring from someone in a small town. She would normally have frowned on such a bizarre combination, but the mayor had walked with confidence and a relaxed air. It _worked_ , and Gracie knew that only this fellow could pull off that outfit. Not much later, she opened a branch of her store in Ebony Sands, one that she would run herself.

Gracie smiled slightly at the recollection. It had been a while since she had talked to the mayor; maybe she would slip off after closing and see what was up. That would be weird, but Mayor Sissel wouldn't mind. She hoped.

A little alarm clock started ringing and Gracie jumped. Breathing to try and bring her breath under control, she glanced at the alarm clock and turned it off. It was ten o'clock. Time to open _GracieGrace._ She stood and took one more glance at the design for the _Lu Sissel_ shirt. Something was missing…

She shook her head and stepped out of the back room, flicked on the display lights, and steeled herself for the inevitable wave of patrons.

"If there's anything I don't like," she muttered, glancing at the clock as it flipped to 10:01, "it's-"

 _"What are you complaining about?"_

Gracie started and whirled around. There was no one on the floor aside from herself, but she had heard something.

 _"You have good looks. What else do you need? Nothing ought to phase you."_

The giraffe shook her head and started stepping backward. "I'm not phased…"

"Hey, Gracie! How are you today?" Julian asked, coming onto the floor. "Anything new?"

The voice fled, leaving Gracie shaken. But she was relieved, so she put the incident in the back of her mind. Leading Julian to the display with new arrivals, Gracie thanked him under her breath for coming in right then. "The newest item in the _Lu Elis_ line is here. Would you like to try it on?"

Julian examined the shirt, feeling the fabric with his hoof. "Is this silk?"

Gracie nodded, folding her arms as she did so. "Of course, darling. I only use the best fabrics, as you know. Try it on if you like."

The unicorn pulled the shirt on and looked at himself in a conveniently-placed mirror. He twisted right and left, frowning at the hang of the fabric. "Do you have any sizes smaller than this?"

Pointing to a sizing chart, Gracie resigned herself to the fact that Julian wasn't going to buy the shirt. She knew that look he had on his face; it was the look that said, 'I like this, but it isn't my style.' Julian glanced at the sizing chart and grinned. "I'll take a large, please." He pulled the display shirt off, then glanced down. "Heh, I bet this would fit if I didn't have two shirts on. I'll just take this one."

"Four thousand twenty Bells," Gracie informed Julian, and he dug in his pocket for the coins to make the payment. "Would you like that wrapped up?"

Julian shook his head. "I'll put it on right when I get home, so no thanks. Take care!" The unicorn waved and left the floor, clip-clops ringing up the stairway as he headed down to the second floor of the _Emporium._

Gracie smiled slightly and put the Bells in a little purse behind a shelf. "Already a profitable day," she said quietly. "I'd love to see Julian wearing it right. Maybe I'll check in on him."

 _"Your obligation to the peons ends when you receive the money_ ," the voice reminded her. _"One of the benefits of being high-class, dear."_

"Who's there?" Gracie asked, looking around the floor. "Don't play games like this."

 _"We don't play games, dear. Remember that."_ The voice faded away. Gracie felt even more unsettled than she did the first time, and she knew why. That voice was one she knew, almost better than she knew her own voice.

Determined to push it away, Gracie walked to the stairs and descended to the second floor. _Maybe company will help this_ , she thought. Thankfully, Julian was still on the second floor, trying to decide whether or not he actually wanted the modern wood bed that Tommy said he wanted. Victoria was sitting at a table, drinking something from a bottle. Mitzi was doing a crossword puzzle with Fauna, and Apollo was measuring a cabinet. It was just the hustle and bustle that Gracie needed.

There was an empty seat next to Victoria, so Gracie took it. Victoria put the bottle down and greeted Gracie with enthusiasm. "Hi, Gracie! I haven't seen you in _forever_!"

A small smile appeared on the giraffe's face. "The feeling is mutual, darling. By the way, what are you drinking?"

"Oh!" Victoria handed the bottle to Gracie, who turned it around to read the label. _Redd's Fruit Medley_ , the label proclaimed in an elegant script. Beneath that, more of the elegant script wrote out _Ginger Ale_.

"Has Redd started making drinks?" Gracie questioned, handing the bottle of ginger ale back to Victoria. The horse nodded and took a quick sip, then explained that he was down on Main Street, outside of the _Emporium._

"Do you want some?"

Gracie shook her head. "Not right now. I may get some later." Then, stifling a yawn (she had been up since three in the morning), she stood up. Victoria had turned her attention back to her ginger ale, so Gracie started wandering around the items for sale. "Good quality, though it is not quite top."

"Well, we try!" Tommy piped up from next to her. He frowned. "I didn't mean to startle you, Ms. Gracie. Sorry about that."

"I should have been more attentive," Gracie replied, looking down at the little raccoon. "Forget it."

Tommy shrugged and started to walk away, but Gracie stopped him. "What?" Tommy asked when he heard what she said.

"I wanted to know if Mayor Sissel has stopped by today," Gracie repeated, biting the words a little bit. _It really wasn't that hard of a question…_ She had to stop herself from tapping her hoof as Tommy thought.

"Not yet," the raccoon finally said. "Do you want to talk to him? I can send him up a floor if you do."

For a moment, two conflicting wishes warred in Gracie's mind. But one quickly won. "No. If he comes up on his own, then that's fine. But don't tell him to come up." She hurried away and scampered up the stairs to her floor, her sanctuary.

When she had caught her breath, Gracie began to consider what was going on. She was surprised at herself. Hearing voices was one thing, and she couldn't really control that. Hurrying up the stairs though? _Scampering_? That could be controlled.

"Oh, Mother would have some words to say to me," Gracie muttered. She shook herself.

Then, right on cue… _"High class animals do not_ scamper _, dear. There is no suitable adjective for moving quickly, so we do not move quickly."_

The giraffe rolled her eyes. "I _know_ that, Mother."

 _"The lesson doesn't seem to have sunk in."_

Portia made an entrance at that exact moment, followed by Whitney and Freya. The three began admiring the clothes and furniture that were on display, hiding their admiration through vociferous criticism that didn't even make sense.

"Can you believe this? This shirt has herringbone stitch, when it should have souffle stitch!" Portia exclaimed, feeling the seams of a purple and blue shirt.

"No, no, no, this cannot be this shade of maroon!" Whitney nearly shouted.

Freya gently put a clock back on the wall. "Terrible choice of gears," she noted.

Gracie smirked, and the three others winked at the giraffe. "Portia, the shirt is two thousand. Whitney, that carpet is twenty thousand. Freya, that clock is forty-two thousand."

Still making a fuss, the three animals winked again, paid Gracie, and left the floor, laughing. Gracie put the money in the purse and put the purse back into its hiding place, then took a moment to silently thank the three for coming in when they did.

* * *

A/N: Well, look at this. This story is gargantuan, and my second-longest story! I'm so grateful for Heavenly Father's help in articulating what I wanted to say.


	2. Chapter 2

The voice didn't come back until it was almost closing time. Gracie was putting a sizable handful of coins into her purse while Rolf hefted a lamp and a stool down the stairs. The moment Gracie stopped being able to hear Rolf's steps, there was a little laugh.

 _"Never set up shop in a backwater town, dear. In the city, the elite will frequent the best shops. Make yours the best."_

"That doesn't have anything to do with right now," Gracie remarked. "Can you leave me alone, Mother?"

 _"This is the thanks I get for bringing you up in fashion?"_

With those words, Gracie was swept back. _She was about fifteen, sitting on a brand-new couch. A leopard-print scarf was around her neck. She was wearing a maroon turtleneck. An older giraffe sat on a chair across from her. The older giraffe wore a pair of diamond earrings, red lipstick, a stylish purple top, a pair of black pants, and a shimmery beret._

 _"Dear, what are you wearing? This is the thanks I get for bringing you up in fashion?"_

 _"But Mother, I like this outfit! Isn't that the most important thing?"_

 _The older giraffe shook her head. "What matters is how you look. I have tried to teach you that. ...I'm disappointed in you, Gracie."_

 _"Mother… I don't want to disappoint you… How do I make it better?"_

 _The older giraffe stood. "You will go to your room and throw away all of those… atrocious clothes. Take them to the thrift store, burn them, I do not care. Then you will wear your good clothes, and I will make sure you learn everything again."_

 _Gracie nodded slowly. "Thank you, Mother. I won't disappoint you anymore."_

 _"I expect that you won't."_

"Are you okay, Gracie?" Mayor Sissel's voice cut through the memory, returning Gracie to the present with a disorienting quickness. She watched the world spin for a couple of seconds, then focused on the mayor once the world calmed down. "Are you okay?" Mayor Sissel asked again, more concern evident in his voice this time.

Gracie tried to nod in answer, but found she couldn't. "No," she whispered, gripping a nearby table for stability. The world threatened to spin again, but when Mayor Sissel put a hand on her arm it stopped.

"What's the matter?"

 _"Remember that we don't show weakness_."

"Nothing," Gracie muttered, pulling away from Mayor Sissel's hand. She glanced down and noticed that he wore a gold band on his left hand. "Did you get married?"

She looked up in time to see the mayor smile. "I'm engaged, as of last night. And yes, the girl is the one I took to the Christmas Ball. But I didn't come to talk about that. I don't think you're really okay."

 _It's not weakness… It's… something else_ , Gracie rationalized. But the voice gnawed at her gut. "Sissel, what would you say if I told you that I've been feeling… different?"

"What kind of different?"

"Well… hearing voices, for one thing. Actually feeling like thanking others."

Mayor Sissel raised his eyebrows. "Interesting. Is that what's happening?"

"Yes."

The mayor looked up at the ceiling and closed his eyes. He started humming tunelessly.

 _"Don't trust peons, dear."_

Mayor Sissel stopped whistling and opened his eyes. "What are the voices like? Is it someone in particular, or is it just a random voice?"

"Someone in particular," Gracie answered, not quite ready to tell the mayor it was her mother. "Things the person said."

"Hmm…" Mayor Sissel thought for a moment. "Well, I don't think you're going crazy. I sometimes hear my father telling me to 'work hard and work smartly,' which was something he said a lot. I imagine yours is a lot like that." He stopped talking and looked at Gracie. "But it's bothering you, isn't it?"

Gracie nodded. "It started today."

"I don't think you need to worry. However, if it's bothering you, you might think about _why_. Sometimes things bother us because of guilt, or expectations, or something like that. My dad's words get me whenever I feel like slacking. Maybe it's something similar with you." Mayor Sissel tilted his head to one side. "Though… well, I'm not sure. Think about it, and maybe you'll find what's going on." He smiled sheepishly. "That's all the advice I have. Sorry."

An irrational irritation rose for a moment before Gracie could push it down. It wasn't the mayor's fault that he couldn't help more. If she told him more, he might have better advice. _It's worth a try, though,_ Gracie thought. "It's fine, Sissel."

The mayor folded his arms and eyed Gracie. He stared at her for a moment, making her feel slightly awkward. "I have never heard you call anyone by their first name. Why am I the exception to the rule?"

This was not where Gracie wanted this conversation to go.

 _"Keep your feelings to yourself. The strong deal with issues themselves."_

"I call others by first name," she said. The voice was right; there was no reason to give Mayor Sissel the real reason. "It isn't just you, darling."

Mayor Sissel raised an eyebrow, but didn't bring the subject up again. "Would you be interested in helping design Sarah's wedding dress?"

"Sarah is the girl from the Christmas Ball, right?" Gracie asked. The gears in her mind were already whirling with ideas: double-length sleeves, mistletoe embroidery, and more. "I would love to."

A smile spread across Mayor Sissel's face. "Wonderful! Thank you so much, Gracie! Would you be okay working with Labelle on it?"

Gracie nodded. "That would be fine."

"Excellent!" Mayor Sissel looked around. "I'll work with you on payment. Ooh, is that desk new? I've never seen it before."

"It's from a new line of furniture," Gracie said, walking with the mayor to the desk. "The Antiquity line is full of furniture that looks like antiques but are sturdier than any you might buy at a thrift shop."

The mayor ran his hand over the surface, then looked at the grain of the wood. "How much for it?"

"Fifty-nine thousand," Gracie replied. "The Antiquity line is a bit cheaper than the Princess or Sweets line."

Frowning slightly in concentration, Mayor Sissel pulled out the drawers. He felt the inside of them, closed them, and turned to Gracie. "Do you still take checks?"

The mayor wrote out a check for fifty-nine thousand and handed it to Gracie. "There you go. Now, how do I get this out of here?" He thought for a moment, then grinned. "I'll be right back." He headed down to the second floor, and Gracie began to close the floor down.

In a few minutes, Mayor Sissel came back, followed by Rolf, Zell, and Redd. "All right! Let's get this going," Mayor Sissel said, and the four took up positions around the desk. They lifted the desk, wobbled slightly, and then headed toward the stairs. "Thanks, Gracie!"

Gracie waved, though Mayor Sissel couldn't see her. As the four went down the stairs, she could hear Redd complaining. "I can't believe I let you talk me into helping."

"Would you like my help in asking her on a date?" Mayor Sissel asked seriously.

"Uh… Let's move this thing, then."

Gracie laughed quietly.


	3. Chapter 3

After grabbing her purse from its hiding place and turning off the lights on her floor, Gracie descended to the second floor. There were still a couple of lights turned on, illuminating the items that still needed to be put away. A wrapper from something was lying on the floor next to one of the tables.

As Gracie passed a toy, the toy's eyes lit up. It growled, making her jump. She hurried to pick up the wrapper and headed down to the first floor of the _Emporium._

Timmy and Tommy were there, talking about finances and sales for the day. Gracie tossed the wrapper in a nearby trash can and sighed dramatically.

 _"No dramatics, dear."_

The twins turned to her. "Why did you sigh?" Timmy asked.

Gracie shook her head. "Never mind." She paused, then smiled slightly. "There's a motion-activated toy up on the next floor. It scared me."

Tommy chuckled. "I haven't been able to sell that motion robot. No one wants a toy that will growl at you when you pass it in the night."

"I understand that," Gracie said. "Good night, darlings." Timmy waved as she exited the _Emporium_.

Main Street was lit by warm streetlights. A couple of animals strolled along the Street, enjoying the cool night air and chatting with each other when they met. Club LOL was blazing with neon light, but most of the other establishments had no lights shining. Down the Street, the door to the _Able Sisters_ was open slightly, letting out a thin sliver of illumination.

Gracie breathed deeply. The night air of Ebony Sands was incredible, with enough kick to keep someone going without food for a couple of days. _I may not have wanted to set up shop here,_ Gracie thought, _but Ebony Sands certainly grows on you_.

She stood for a moment, looking at the stars. There was the Sailboat constellation… the Dorado… and Kargall the Kangaroo. Those were the only three official ones she knew, but there were many she had made up as a child. "The Scarf… the Tree… and there's the Dogear," Gracie murmured, tracing the familiar shapes. "Mother, why didn't you want me to learn about the stars?"

 _"Astronomy is not for the high-class, dear."_

Gracie gasped and grabbed the wall of the _Emporium_ for support. A thought had shot through her mind, right behind the voice.

"Is that it?" Gracie thought for a moment. "It must be…" She frowned and shook her head. "Thank you, Mother. I was going against what you taught me." Pulling herself up, Gracie took a deep breath. "I will do better now."

Pushing aside all of her fanciful ideas about the stars, Gracie walked toward the open door of the _Able Sisters_. She passed a couple of animals talking to each other, then paused.

"-he's divorced?"

"You're joking, Sterling! I don't think he's divorced. Remember, he talks about his 'wife,' not 'ex-wife.'"

"Well, I don't know if it's true. But it makes sense, Jacob. Maybe he's in denial?"

"Nah. I think he's married."

Gracie continued on her way, the conversation crowding her mind. _Who were they talking about?_

 _"High-class always keeps up on the latest news."_

She knocked on the open door. _That's why I listened._

 _"Good."_

The door opened a little wider and Mabel stuck her head out. "Oh, Gracie! Is there something I can do for you?"

Gracie filed the conversation away for later before answering. "Is Labelle here?"

Mabel disappeared. "Labelle!"

"What?!"

"Visitor!" Mabel stuck her head out of the door again. "She's coming. Would you like to come in?"

Gracie nodded, and Mabel opened the door wider. The giraffe entered the shop just as Labelle arrived at the door. Mabel hurried off to help Sable with a pile of clothes, leaving Labelle standing beside Gracie.

"Ms. Gracie, what brings you here to see me?" Labelle asked, bowing a little bit. Gracie turned and looked at Labelle disapprovingly.

"It is 'Gracie.' You are a world-class designer, Labelle, and we are equals." Gracie smiled slightly. "But old habits can be hard to break."

Labelle grinned. "I just like annoyingyou, Gracie." The giraffe rolled her eyes, and Labelle laughed. "So what are you here for?" The hedgehog led Gracie to a corner where two stools stood and sat down. Gracie sat on the other stool.

"Sissel asked me to help design his fiancee'swedding dress," Gracie explained. "He said you would be working on it, too."

"Woo-hoo!" Labelle exclaimed, pumping her arm. "I've missed designing stuff with you, Gracie! All right, do you want to start now?"

Grace had forgotten how excitable Labelle could get. When Labelle had worked for Gracie, the giraffe had found it annoying at times. _Well, all the time_ , Gracie silently amended. _But it's actually nice._ "Yes."

Labelle jumped up and ran into the back, then came out with graph paper and pencils. She handed Gracie some paper and one of the pencils before sitting down to work with her own supplies. "I think maybe a double-length style would work, with something like four or five extra inches on the sleeves beyond the hand. What do you think?"

"That is exactly what I was thinking. Do we have her measurements?" Gracie had forgotten to ask the mayor about that.

"I have them," Labelle said, pulling a small paper from her pile. "Here you go."

Gracie took the paper and examined it. "Would you like it back, Labelle?" Labelle shook her head, so Gracie tucked the paper into a pocket. The two went to work with a will, putting down whatever crazy ideas came to mind, even if a giant flower-shaped dress wouldn't work at all.

 _"Disruption is the best creativity, dear. Think of strange things, and you will find good ideas."_

Mabel walked past, carrying a pile of fabric. Sable was right behind her, an even larger pile of fabric in her arms. Sable paused next to Labelle's papers. "I like the crop-cut on that one," she remarked.

Labelle glanced at the design Sable had referred to. "I'm not sure how it would work, sis. But I really like it, too, so I think I'll try to keep it around. Thanks!" Sable nodded and hurried after Mabel.

"What crop-cut?" Gracie questioned, and Labelle pushed the paper over to her. "Around the high neckline?"

"Do you like it, too?"

"It's beautiful. We can make sure it gets onto the dress," Gracie said, handing the paper back to the hedgehog. "Coupled with the double-length sleeves, this is becoming perfect."

After a few more minutes of working, a yawn escaped Labelle. A moment later, Gracie yawned also. Labelle laughed. "I guess it's almost time to stop for the night. Do you want to work on this again tomorrow?"

"Let's do it earlier in the day," Gracie suggested. "I need more sleep."

Labelle smirked. "I think you're just getting old, Gracie."

Gracie rolled her eyes. "I may be getting old, but I will deny it for as long as I can." A thought struck her. "Labelle, I overheard two animals talking about someone who was in denial about his divorce. Do you know about whom they were talking?"

Labelle eyed Gracie. She seemed to be thinking about something. "I know what that was about, yeah. I don't know if I ought… all right."

 _Why did she agree so quickly?_ Gracie wondered.

 _"No one knows the minds of other elite, dear, unless one figures it out."_

The hedgehog gave a small sigh. "Do you know Shrunk?"

Despite her best efforts, the name failed to conjure up a face. "I don't know if I know this Shrunk person," Gracie answered.

Labelle nodded slowly, thinking again. "He's the guy in charge of Club LOL. He's that axolotl."

"Then I do know him, at least by sight."

"Well, if you listened to Shrunk, he would be married. His wife wouldn't like him a lot, but he'd be married. It turns out, though, that he isn't. His wife divorced him about… six months ago, I think." Labelle shrugged. "I don't think he can accept that, though."

"Why not?" Gracie asked, interest coloring her voice.

"No idea," Labelle replied, stacking all of her papers in a single pile. "My guess is that he isn't sure whether she _really_ did it or she's just teasing him." She shook her head sadly. "I wish he'd hurry up and get the point, though. It might help him be happier."

Gracie didn't say anything else. She returned Labelle's wave while exiting the _Able Sisters_ , then walked to the residential district of Ebony Sands in continued silence. The cobblestones were cool and soothing, especially since she had been on her hooves all day.

Crossing the train tracks, Gracie made her way to the plaza. No one was around that late at night, but the tree that grew in the middle of the plaza still provided company. The tree was still growing, but Gracie remembered when it was much smaller. She had first seen it when it was only about her height. Now it was almost seven times her height, if not more.

The brick wall around the tree was cooler than the stones of the plaza, and Gracie gingerly sat down on it. Once she did, she felt peace rush through her. This brick wall had always been able to do that. Maybe that was another reason why she decided to set up a store in Ebony Sands…

 _"High-class does not sit on brick walls, dear."_

Gracie grimaced. She remembered when her mother had told her that. She had gone to play with a friend that her mother didn't quite approve of (this friend was rather poor), and when it was time for Gracie to go home, she had sat down on the brick wall in her friend's backyard and waited to be picked up.

When her mother had arrived and seen where she was waiting, she had stiffened, picked Gracie up off of the wall, then walked her home without so much as a word to Gracie's friend's mother. At home, Gracie didn't have the time to be nervous.

 _"High-class does not sit on brick walls, dear._ " Then her mother had sent her to her room.

Gracie put her head in her hooves. "I'm sorry, Mother," she whispered. "I try, but I can never impress you."

"Did you ever try comedy?" a voice asked from next to her elbow. Gracie started and scooted away from the source of the voice before looking over to see who had spoken. Sitting on the brick wall was an axolotl in a white shirt, black vest, and gray pants. "Didn't mean to scare you. Say, want to hear a joke?"

As Gracie's heart slowly stopped hammering, thought after thought ran through her head. _Oh, it's just Shrunk. What kind of joke? Doesn't he know not to scare a fashion icon like me?_ "All right," she said quietly.

Shrunk smiled and jumped off of the wall. "Last night, I was at the movie theater, when these two ladies came up to me. They were talking so fast that I couldn't understand them, but eventually they slowed down. Well, turns out they wanted to know if I knew a fellow named Shrunk."

 _Where is this going?_

"When I told them that I was Shrunk, the two ladies laughed. I tried to explain that I was _the_ Shrunk, but they disagreed." Shrunk frowned, then shook his head. "Turns out they thought 'Shrunk' was the guy who shrunk clothes in the wash." Shrunk clapped his hands together and did a little dance.

 _…That was-_

"So, how was that?" Shrunk asked, hopping back up onto the wall. "Did that make up for scaring you?"

 _"Never let your feelings show, unless it benefits your position. This is not one of those times."_

Gracie snorted. "I suppose so. Is that your best joke?"

Shrunk chuckled. "Nope, not at all. I have a lot of other ones that are much better." He fell silent, then looked up through the foliage of the plaza tree at the stars. "Do you like the stars?"

"Enough," Gracie replied, looking up as well. "I don't know them, though."

"That doesn't matter," Shrunk said. "You don't have to know the stars to like them. Are you _the_ Gracie?"

The abrupt shift in conversation threw Gracie off-balance for a moment. "Uh… yes," she stammered, still trying to recover. When she finally was back on the right rails, she continued, "That is me, yes."

Shrunk nodded amiably. "I thought so. There aren't many giraffes in Ebony Sands. Well, there aren't any giraffes besides Gracie, so I figured you were either she or some random visitor."

Gracie didn't feel the need to reply, and Shrunk didn't say anything else. While Shrunk continued to look up at the stars, Gracie glanced at him. _He seems happy enough. Why did Labelle say he could be happier?_

 _"Dear, peons are for impressing."_

"Well, I am _definitely_ not some random visitor," Gracie told Shrunk. "The empress of fashion, you know."

Shrunk began humming something that Gracie found annoyingly familiar. _And he didn't even seem impressed with my statement. Hmm…_

"Do you like Vivaldi?" Shrunk asked. "I'm fond of his _Four Seasons_ pieces. I've been trying to memorize the "Spring" piece, but I only have a couple of lines down." He hummed some more before talking again. "How does one get the title of 'empress of fashion'? Evidently, one has to be female, but besides that?"

 _He_ did _hear me,_ Gracie thought. _There's more to this p… fellow, than I thought._ "You have to be a world-class clothing designer," she said. "It takes more than a desire. It takes burning passion. It takes… love, really." Gracie had no idea why she was talking so much around Shrunk. Just because his joke was-

"Ah. My wife could be an empress of fashion, then. Well, if she ever wanted to, that is." His smile grew wider. "She's fine where she is, though."

Then Gracie caught a dip of his smile, almost like a frown had tried to replace the smile. She got off of the wall. "Have a good night, Shrunk."

Shrunk waved as she hurried off. "Thanks for talking, ma'am! I enjoyed it!"

 _He is sad…_

 _"The feelings of peons don't matter."_

 _And why, if I'm following her advice, does Mother's voice still bother me?_


	4. Chapter 4

The next day, Labelle found her way onto Gracie's floor of the _Emporium_ around noon. "I thought that I could come over during my lunch break," the hedgehog explained, following Gracie to a corner of the floor. "Then we could work on the dress during the day, and you can still keep an eye on your merchandise."

"Is someone covering for you?" Gracie asked, taking out a pencil before sitting down in a chair.

Labelle nodded absentmindedly. "Sable said she could run my area until I get back. Do you think the dress would look better with a herringbone stitch or a mistletoe stitch?"

Gracie thought for a moment. "Well, with what we have going, it might be better to have a vine stitch." As Labelle drew the vine stitch on the design, Gracie hesitated. _Do I dare?_

 _"Even those who are also high-class should not know our feelings, dear."_

"I talked with Shrunk last night."

Labelle's pencil fell to the floor. She rooted around for it and found it, then stared at Gracie. "You _did_? When? What happened?"

"After I left the _Able Sisters_ , I went to the plaza. He ended up there, too." Gracie hesitated again, but decided to take the plunge. "For some reason, I was more talkative with him than I am with anyone besides you and Sissel."

The look Labelle gave Gracie made the giraffe want to blush. She knew enough, though, to realize that blushing would make Labelle curious about irrelevant matters. "You're a little red, Gracie," Labelle said, grinning. "I love using that face. Makes anyone blush. Anyway, that's no surprise. Shrunk has a way about him that lends to talking. I myself talk to him a lot when I'm around him."

"Then it's not just me," Gracie breathed in relief. Labelle hooted with laughter.

"Nope, not just you. You're not going soft, friend."

"And I realized what you said," Gracie continued. "He is sad. I think he knows that his wife divorced him. He seemed sad after talking about her."

Labelle glared at the paper she was working with, then erased some lines rather viciously. "Do you know what I think? I think this dress is going to be excellent. But that makes more sense than being in so much denial that he thinks she's teasing him." She looked up. "That was awkward. But you get what I mean."

Gracie nodded silently. She turned her attention to her pile of designs and began working on an unfinished one.

The time passed quickly, and Gracie was deep in her creative zone when Labelle poked her in the side. "Gracie, you have patrons." When Gracie didn't respond, Labelle rolled her eyes and poked the giraffe in the ear.

"Great galloping gnats, Labelle!" Gracie shouted, slapping Labelle away. "Warn me next time, won't you?" She turned to Deirdre and Coco. "Hold on just a moment, please." Gracie pulled herself out of her chair and followed the two. Deirdre wanted a blue and green sofa (seventy thousand) and Coco wanted to get an aquamarine shirt (seven thousand five hundred). After collecting the Bells from Coco and Deirdre, Gracie wrapped up the aquamarine shirt and helped Deirdre down the stairs with her sofa.

When she made it back upstairs, Gracie found Labelle staring, eyes wide. Gracie gave her a quizzical look. "What?"

It took Labelle a moment to find her voice, and when she did, it was a little husky. "You helped carry something," she said, dumbfounded.

Gracie tossed her head. "I can help my patrons, darling."

"Yeah, but you never do."

 _"We simply sell. They carry it."_

"What if I _want_ to help?!" Gracie asked exasperatedly. It wasn't Labelle she was exasperated with; she was tired of… _I'm tired of Mother telling me what to do…_

"I never said you couldn't," Labelle said carefully.

Gracie slumped back into her seat. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get on your case, Labelle." She sighed. "I've been hearing things that my mother told me as I was growing up. She tried to make me into something like her, and I've felt so guilty for falling short. I was going to follow what I remembered her telling me, but it still bugged me. Because I didn't want her to tell me what to do." Gracie gave a lopsided smile. "I wanted to impress her, but the only way I could impress her was through doing what she told me to. I don't remember any other way." She shrugged and started working on another design. "I guess I'll just disappoint her."

Labelle waited, but when Gracie didn't say anything else, she turned back to her work. Once in a while, the hedgehog glanced at Gracie through the corner of her eye.

Finally, Labelle couldn't keep quiet any longer. "And you're okay with disappointing your mother?"

There was no answer for a little bit. When Labelle had given up on getting an answer, Gracie laughed softly. "No. But I don't want to be everything she tried to push on me. I like the stars, and I like talking to people. I like sitting on brick walls, sharing my feelings, and listening to classical music."

"Was classical music something your mother disapproved of?" Labelle questioned, returning to her own designs.

"I assume so," Gracie said. "I was listening to Bizet's _Carmen_ one day, and she found me listening. She made me return the tapes to the library." The left side of Gracie's mouth turned up. "I was on the last piece when she found me, so I don't know how it ended."

Clicking her tongue, Labelle erased something on her current design. "That's just mean."

Gracie hummed in agreement, and a silence fell. The only thing to make noise was clock as it ticked away. Unconsciously, hoof and footpaw started tapping to the ticking.

 _I wonder… what would Labelle think if I told her more about Shrunk?_

 _"Dear, hide your feeli-"_

 _No, Mother. Be disappointed in me, but I don't want to be all of that anymore._

 _"Dear, think about this for a little bit."_

 _Mother, you tried to make me into_ you _. I wanted to impress you, but I never could. So I might as well just go along with the trend and disappoint you. But at least I'll be happier._

 _"Dear, you do not talk back to your mother."_

 _Sorry, Mother. But I don't want to be you._

 _"…I'm d… you, dear."_

Gracie remembered when her mother told her that, too. She was sitting on the couch, watching the clouds. Her mother had come in, breathing heavily, and told her to get ready so they could go shopping. Gracie had turned around. _"I don't want to go. Mother, may I stay home and watch the clouds, please?"_

 _The older giraffe stared at Gracie, then shook her head. "…I'm d… you, dear." She turned and left Gracie on the couch._

 _"Wait! I didn't mean to disappoint you!" Gracie shouted, jumping down from the couch and running after her mother._

"Just par for the course, huh?" Gracie muttered as she stood up. Labelle glanced up at her.

"What's par for the course?"

Gracie laughed. "Oh, just disappointing Mother. Isn't it about time you got back to the shop?"

Labelle stuck her tongue out at Gracie. "Spoilsport."

"That's really mature, Labelle. Go on, go actually be mature," Gracie said, grinning as she shooed Labelle out of her seat. "I'll see you tonight."

"All right," Labelle sighed. She winked, and Gracie laughed again. "But I expect more work to be done tonight than was done just now."

Gracie laughed more loudly than she had in a very long time.


	5. Chapter 5

That night, Gracie met Labelle at The Roost, a little café sitting in the residential portion of Ebony Sands. A pigeon named Brewster ran the little place and, Gracie admitted, made the best hot chocolate she had ever had the privilege of drinking.

Labelle ordered a semi-sweet hot chocolate with caramel and five marshmallows. Once Brewster had silently handed the hedgehog her hot chocolate, Gracie ordered a mint dark hot chocolate with whipped cream. Brewster mixed the hot chocolate and, with a deft little swish, decorated the top with the whipped cream. He handed the hot chocolate to Gracie, and she paid him for both Labelle's hot chocolate and her own. Then, finding she had another coin handy, she gave Brewster the coin as a tip.

"I love your hot chocolate," Gracie explained when Brewster glanced at her.

"…Thank you very much," he said.

Gracie cradled her hot chocolate, feeling the warmth seep through her hooves, and walked back to the table where Labelle was sitting. The hedgehog was already working furiously on a new design, stopping only to take the occasional sip of her hot chocolate. The table in front of their table was occupied by Fauna and Rolf, each of whom was reading a book. Gracie glanced at the books. Rolf was reading _Oliver Twist_ by Charles Dickens, while Fauna was reading _An Interested Party_ by Arthur Ersalz.

"Fauna, what is your book about?" Gracie asked, stopping at the deer's side.

Fauna looked up. "It's a mystery where someone stole a single jewel from a jewel shop, but no one knows what was stolen."

"That sounds fantastic! May I borrow it once you finish?"

"Sure!"

"Thanks!" Gracie waved to Rolf, who waved absently back, then finished walking to an empty chair next to Labelle. "Whew!" she sighed as she slid into the chair.

Labelle glanced at Gracie. "I didn't know you liked reading."

Gracie shrugged amiably. "It was something Mother didn't quite approve of, unless the reading material was a magazine or newspaper. But I've always enjoyed Arthur Ersalz's books."

"All right, that's cool," Labelle replied, nodding. "I'm partial to Anthony Goodman, myself." She pointed at the pile of papers in front of Gracie. "Are you going to start working, or what?"

"Yes, eventually," Gracie retorted. "But first I have something I want to tell you."

"Like, how important is this?" Labelle inquired, giving Gracie a curious look. "Are we talking _end of the world_ or _I had kippers for dinner_?"

Gracie snorted. "More like _the kippers are ending the world, but we can eat them._ "

"Ooh! Do tell!" Labelle exclaimed, putting down her pencil.

"Remember how I told you that I talked to Shrunk last night?" Labelle nodded. "Well, he told me a joke."

Labelle's eyes widened. "I am _so_ sorry for you…"

Gracie shot a look at the hedgehog. "I don't know why. Here, I'll tell you."

When Gracie finished telling the joke, Labelle just stared. "That's not funny," she said. "I mean, the guy who shrinks clothes? Really?"

"I thought it was hilarious! I don't get why you didn't like it," Gracie said, folding her arms. "I mean, I'd love to meet the guy who shrinks my clothes when I forget to wash them correctly."

Labelle rolled her eyes. "I think you like Shrunk."

The ensuing silence seemed to blanket all of Ebony Sands. Fauna and Rolf didn't turn any pages. Brewster put down the cup he was cleaning. A nearby gyroid paused. Outside, the wind didn't blow.

And then the wind whistled a little bit. The gyroid beeped. Brewster picked up another cup and began to wipe it out. Simultaneously, Rolf and Fauna turned to the next pages of their books.

 _They weren't listening!_ Gracie thought happily. _Wait… why am I so excited about that?_

"Don't deny it, Gracie," Labelle warned her, pointing a pencil at the giraffe. "I know enough about infatuation to call it as I see it."

"I doubt that I _like_ Shrunk," Gracie replied, choosing her words carefully. "I think it's more likely that I thought the joke was funny."

Labelle shook her head in exasperation. "My dear, _no one_ thinks Shrunk's jokes are funny. _No one at all_. If you thinks he's funny, dear, you like him." Labelle switched to her non-motherly voice. "Come on, Gracie! If you like him, I won't judge you. To each his or her own. I mean," she continued, glancing around, "I like a guy I know, and you're not getting on my case about it."

Gracie raised an eyebrow. "You haven't even told me who you like, Labelle. Of course I can't get on your case about it!"

Labelle opened her mouth to argue, then grinned. "That's right, huh? Well, okay. I'll tell you who I like if you tell me whether or not you really like Shrunk. Deal?"

Pursing her lips, Gracie considered. _I don't even really know how I feel. Oh well, I might as well. She's my friend, after all._ "All right, deal. But you first."

"Okay." Labelle glanced around, but no one was looking their way. She leaned toward Gracie and muttered something that the giraffe couldn't hear.

"I have no clue what you said," Gracie informed her. "Can you speak up, please?"

"Fine!" Labelle huffed. She glanced around again, but there was still no one watching. "I like Kicks."

Gracie's eyes widened. "The skunk? The one who shined shoes in Larkrich? We _are_ talking about the same Kicks, right?"

A small smile graced Labelle's face. It was the most sincere smile Gracie had seen her give in… well, in all the time she knew her. _No, maybe "sincere" is the wrong word_ , Gracie thought. _Hmm… Oh, "gentle" is the word._

"Yeah…" Labelle's eyes were shining. "I've liked him since I met him, but I heard about his past and didn't want to stick my footpaw in my mouth. So… I haven't done anything about it."

Gracie leaned back in her chair and watched Labelle's face. It moved from dreaming to happiness, back to dreaming, then to wonderment. "I think you have it worse than 'like,'" Gracie commented. "I think you love him."

Labelle didn't deny what Gracie said, like the giraffe would have expected. "You're probably right," she agreed happily. Then the dreamy looks left Labelle's face and she gave Gracie a serious stare. "Now, you tell me how you feel about Shrunk."

Gracie shrugged nonchalantly. "I don't know how I feel about him. There you go."

"What?!" Labelle exclaimed. Fauna and Rolf looked back at her. "Sorry," she apologized, and after the two had gone back to their books, she continued. "I told you everything, and that's all you have to say?"

"I really don't know, Labelle," Gracie said. "I mean, he's funny, but that's nothing to base a relationship on."

Labelle seemed a little skeptical, but she didn't pursue the subject any further. She shook her head and turned back to her work. "Do you think you'd want to get to know him better?"

Gracie chewed her lip as she thought. _He is nice… but would I want to? Mother wouldn't approve. That's not reason enough, though. Would I want to?_

"Well?" Labelle prodded as she started a new design.

"I don't know," Gracie admitted. "There was nothing there. You know, there was no spark when we met, no 'I want to know more about you' feeling."

Rolling the pencil back and forth on the table, Gracie didn't think Labelle had heard. The giraffe looked back down at her own work and frowned. She wasn't sure why nothing was working. There was no design that jumped out at her, no pieces besides the crop-cut that _needed_ to be there, no idea why she was actually considering getting to know a dweeb like Shrunk.

 _Well, he's actually not a dweeb,_ Gracie thought, smiling. _He's actually quite nice._

"If you change your mind, let me know," Labelle finally said, tucking her pencil behind her ear. "I'm fantastic at setting things up. Well, Sable and Mabel are. I have to go help close up shop." She picked up her cup of hot chocolate and drained it in a gulp. "Ahh, that was good. See you tomorrow, and thanks for the hot chocolate." Labelle walked to the counter and handed the cup to Brewster. "Delicious, as always. You're the best, Brewster."

"Thank you, Labelle… Say, do you happen to know if your sisters and you are free next weekend?" Brewster asked. "I'm going to throw a little get-together for the town."

"We should be! I'll ask Mabel and let you know tomorrow. Sound good?"

Brewster nodded and turned his attention to wiping out Labelle's used cup. Labelle turned and waved to Gracie, who gave a small wave back. Then the hedgehog left the café.

Gracie finished her hot chocolate in two more sips, altered a couple of lines on the current design, got up, and headed to the café counter. Brewster accepted her cup silently and started wiping it out.

"Thanks, Brewster."

Brewster glanced up at Gracie. "…You're welcome." He looked back down. "…Have you changed? I don't remember any thanks before…"

Gracie sat on one of the bar stools and rested her arms on the counter. "In a way."

"What does that mean?"

"It means I'm not…" She paused for a moment. "I'm not sure how to say it."

Brewster chuckled, a surprising sound for the introverted pigeon. "You're what you once were?"

Gracie's eyes widened. "How did you guess?"

"…Lucky, I suppose," Brewster replied. Then he smiled slightly. "I've learned you can tell a lot about animals by the hot chocolate they order."

"Why am I not surprised?" Gracie laughed. "All right, then. What did you find about me from my hot chocolate?"

Brewster was quiet for a moment. Gracie wondered if he was trying to remember what she had ordered. When he answered, though, there was no hesitation in his voice. "Animals who order dark hot chocolate often have something in their past that's influenced them. Mint means the thing in the past is sweet. Whipped cream means that the sweet thing is influencing them again, but didn't for a time." Another small smile crossed his face. "Labelle ordered a semi-sweet hot chocolate with caramel and marshmallows. Semi-sweet means that the animal has two personalities, often one for work and one for out of work. Caramel most often signals that the animal is in love with someone. Marshmallows, besides being just marshmallows, show that the one they love has a name with as many marshmallows as they ask for. Labelle asked for five."

Gracie had never heard Brewster say- or murmur- more than a few words at a time, so this explanation was very lengthy. She was shocked, to say the least. "Did you overhear our conversation?"

Brewster shook his head. He glanced up at Gracie again. "Experience is one of the best teachers. She loves Kicks."

Gracie was even more shocked than before. "How did you know that?" she asked in a whisper.

"She comes in, often when he's here. She spends the whole time looking at him, but he doesn't notice. I think he may not be ready for a relationship yet, after letting Katrina go." Brewster sighed. "He'd be happier if he made himself ready."

"I never knew you were the matchmaker, Brewster," Gracie remarked. She looked around the café. Rolf and Fauna were still reading. Whitney and Freya, having come in recently, were sipping hot chocolate at a small table near the door. The door opened and Lyle came in, making his way for the newspaper corner. "What about them?" she asked, nodding in Rolf and Fauna's direction.

Brewster tilted his head to the side as he examined the cup he'd been wiping out. "Friends."

Gracie's spirits fell. "Oh."

Then Brewster smiled. "For now. They like each other."

 _"Only engage in matchmaking of the elite. The peons' love is not our concern."_

"That's good. I'm glad they like each other," Gracie said, and she meant it.


	6. Chapter 6

The next day, Gracie had dragged a chair out of the back room of her floor and set up her work on a side table that was for sale. It was time for her to start working on the _Lu Sissel_ shirt, and she really needed to get down to business on ironing out the design for the wedding dress. By the time Apollo wanted to buy something, she had decided that the crop-cut neckline would go well with double-length sleeves and mistletoe stitching. After Apollo left, Gracie started drawing on a new piece of paper, making sure that the new design had everything she had decided on.

She was getting ready to design the skirt of the dress when Labelle skidded to a stop in front of her. "Gracie!"

Gracie glanced up. "Hello, Labelle. What can I do for you?"

Labelle took a deep breath, then let it out slowly. "Whew… That's better. All right, guess what? I got two tickets for _Jested_!"

Gracie whipped her head up to stare at Labelle. "How in the world did you manage that? I thought all the tickets were sold out!"

 _"Plays are not for the elite. The elite prefer private concerts."_

Gracie ignored her mother's voice as Labelle grinned. "I heard that the tickets were all sold out, so I talked to Mayor Sissel. Turns out he had purchased two tickets back when they were still available, but he just found out he's going to be out of town tonight. Business in Larkrich, I think. Anyway, he let me have the two tickets, since he was going to take Sarah but she'll be in Larkrich, too."

It was about all Gracie could do to contain her excitement and not start jumping up and down. "What are the odds of that?! What time should I meet you?"

"The show is at eight-thirty, so we need to be there by seven-forty-five," Labelle said, sneaking a peek at the design Gracie was working on. "Nice design, by the way. The theater ushers start seating at seven-fifty, so seven-forty-five should be perfect. I'll meet you by the third ticket stand. Deal?"

"Deal!" Gracie looked at the clock. "It's going to be forever!"

 _"The elite don't concern themselves with the time."_

"See you then!" Labelle shouted as she raced down the stairs. Gracie laughed to herself as she sat back down.

"Labelle is so excitable. But in this case, I can see why." Gracie smiled and returned to work on the design.

A few minutes later, Gracie put the wedding dress design aside and frowned as she examined the _Lu Sissel_ design. Something was missing, but she still didn't know what. The yellow and red and white were correct, the plaid designing was correct… What was missing?

Gracie stood up and started to walk around the floor, thinking out loud. "I have yellow and red. I have plaid. I have a herringbone stitch. What does it need? What if I were to give it a two-line stitch on the sleeve cuffs instead of the invisible stitch? Would a popped collar work?"

 _"The elite do not talk to themselves."_

Gritting her teeth, Gracie pushed the voice away. _Well, I do,_ she thought. "Maybe it needs a pocket. On the left side of the chest, or the right side? Would it be flush with the design of the shirt, so there was no break in the design, or would it be separated somehow? Would the pocket have a design on it?"

"I thought _I_ talked to myself a lot," a wry voice said from the direction of the stairs. Gracie whirled around, hearting beating wildly. She hadn't expected anyone to come up while she was pacing, though she really should have realized that possibility. Redd was standing next to the side table where she had been working, shuffling through a stack of papers. Gracie's heart started beating even faster before she noticed that the papers were his own, and not her design papers.

"You almost gave me a heart attack, Redd," Gracie wheezed. "Warn me next time, will you?"

Redd shrugged with one shoulder. "I didn't have a choice, really. Anything I did to warn you would have caused… this," he said, waving his paws around in her general direction.

Closing her eyes, Gracie told herself to calm down. _It's only Redd. Breathe… breathe…_ She opened her eyes and smiled wryly. "The perks of being a designer, I suppose. You get 'designer coma,' and everything is a risk of shock."

Redd laughed. "That's a way to look at it! What were you working on?"

"A design," Gracie replied evasively. "That's all I can say right now. But you're here for a reason. What can I do for you?"

"What makes you think I need help?" Redd asked, raising an eyebrow.

"You would have gone straight to the furniture or clothing item you wanted and just told me that you wanted it to go," Gracie told him. "So obviously you need some help."

Redd rolled his eyes. "You _are_ different. More sarcastic, at least." He grinned, and Gracie laughed quietly. "All right, yeah, I need help. I'm trying to find a gift for… someone."

Gracie folded her arms and gave Redd her best 'obviously' look. "What does this 'someone' like?" she inquired. "There are many different tastes in the world."

"Umm… they like functional, fashionable furniture?"

"Is that a question? Come on, Redd!" Gracie exclaimed. "I need more to go on!"

"…It's Isabelle…" Redd muttered, blushing bright red.

Gracie nodded and glanced around the floor in thought. She started to walk around the floor, stopping every so often at various pieces of furniture. Each one, though, was too flashy or not functional enough. Finally, she stopped by the side table her papers were on, and her eyes lit up. She gathered her papers together and took them off of the table.

"A side table from the Luna line," Gracie remarked. Redd turned around to look at the side table. "Made of the finest oak, with panels of redwood and white birch, glossed with fine resin and varnish to keep it smooth. Faux silver designs poured in the resin and varnish while it was hardening, and you have an elegant, subtle beauty, all in a functional table that can go beside a couch or in front of a chair."

Redd's face split into a smile. "That's perfect! How much?"

Gracie scratched her head and considered. "Twelve thousand three hundred," she declared. _A small discount in the scheme of things, really._

"I'll take it. Thank you so much, Gracie!" Redd couldn't stop himself from jumping a little bit. He handed her the money and picked up the side table. "She'll love it. At least, I hope she will."

"Tell her it's a birthday present," Gracie advised. "A late birthday present, since her birthday was a while ago. That should work."

"I'll do that. Thank you again, Gracie. Is there something I can do for you in exchange?" Redd asked, heading toward the stairs.

Gracie shook her head. "Nah. Just tell me how it goes, please."

"Will do!" Redd shouted as he went down the stairs.

Gracie smiled, then put her papers down on a dresser. Pulling her chair up to the dresser, she stared at the _Lu Sissel_ design, then sighed. "I have _no_ idea what's missing…"


	7. Chapter 7

The Ebony Sands Theater was a brand-new building. Mayor Sissel, who enjoyed acting in plays, thought that it would be a good idea to bring musicals, dramas, and other productions to Ebony Sands. After getting approval from most of the residents of Ebony Sands, the mayor had purchased a large section of land from Tom Nook. Located in the southern part of the residential district, the Ebony Sands Theater sat mostly by itself.

It was an elegant structure, reminiscent of Renaissance and Gothic era architecture. The front was swept forward in a grand wave-like construction, separating the ticket booths and entrance hall from the performance hall with a carpeted section that did a fantastic job at blocking sound from disrupting productions. Along the curving of the wave, there were pillars. The roof was capped off with Gothic windows and great arches. The entire structure, affectionately known as "Ebbie" by most everyone, had taken nearly two years to build. Mayor Sissel had officiated at the grand opening ceremony, and barely a day later the first play was announced: _Jested_ , a story about a jester who had to fight a dragon and ends up becoming friends with the dragon. Ebony Sands lit up with the news, and tickets sold quickly.

Gracie wasn't impressed with all of this as she stood outside of the Theater. It was almost seven-fifty, and she still hadn't seen Labelle yet. "I can't believe she's late," Gracie groused as she scanned the streams of animals entering the Theater.

"Who's late?" someone asked from behind her. Gracie looked over her shoulder, and there was Shrunk, standing with his hands in his pockets. He was wearing a freshly-ironed blue suit coat instead of his usual black vest, with navy pants that were definitely straight from the dry cleaners'.

 _He actually looks rather dashing,_ Gracie thought. She didn't notice her heart start beating just a tiny bit faster. "Labelle," she answered, turning around so she could pay more attention to Shrunk. "She said she would meet me at seven-forty-five, but I haven't seen her yet."

Shrunk shook his head, chuckling. "I can't believe it. Do you know, she told me the exact same thing. Not sure why she ditched us both."

Gracie tried to stop herself from exploding. She should have expected something like this from Labelle. It wouldn't do to be mad. _Besides, why_ am _I mad? Shrunk is nice enough._

Apparently, Gracie hadn't contained herself as well as she had thought, because Shrunk raised an eyebrow. "Do you know what's going on?"

"Yes," Gracie admitted, feeling the rest of the anger seep away. She started walking toward the main doors of the Theater. Shrunk, after a moment, hurried along behind her. "Labelle set us up," she said, slowing down a bit so that he could walk next to her.

"A date?" Shrunk asked, glancing at Gracie in curiosity. "Would Labelle really do that?"

Gracie's smile was very wry. "You don't know Labelle as well as I do. Two," she said as the usher reached for the tickets.

"Right this way," the usher whispered. He led them to a pair of empty seats, bowed, then walked back to the door. Shrunk gestured for Gracie to go in, taking the seat on the end of the row once she had sat down.

Gracie picked up a program that was on the armrest of her chair and opened it. " _'Jested_ is the story of Aphie, a boy who wants to become the king's jester, but will have to go through the current jester and other terrifying foes,'" Gracie read in a deep and dramatic voice. She winked at Shrunk, who snickered.

"I don't know why people said you were mean," Shrunk commented, reading his own program. "You're very funny."

Gracie was eyeing Shrunk when a thought hit her. She turned to face him, staring seriously at him. "Why are you still with me?"

"Come again?"

"You're married!"

Shrunk sighed. "Ah, that. Well, I'm not."

Gracie winced. "Sorry… I knew that, but I thought you were in denial."

Shrunk shrugged, closing the program. "For a while I was. But…" He sighed again. "I got a letter the day we talked under the tree. My ex-wife wrote to tell me that she was happily married. She wanted to ask for forgiveness." The axolotl looked at Gracie, and she could see that there were tears in his eyes. "I still haven't written a letter back to her. But that letter pushed it home. Well," he amended, "that letter and seeing you that night. The realization finally hit, after we talked."

"Me?"

The right side of Shrunk's mouth turned up in a half-smile. "You don't need to be surprised. It isn't that you're good at designing clothes that got you far in life. You're pretty pretty, to boot."

Gracie could feel heat rising in her cheeks, and she was grateful that the lighting wasn't optimal. She was definitely blushing. "I can't remember anyone telling me that before," she said.

 _"Looks are everything, dear. But without looks, you yourself could get by with designs."_

Gracie shook her head, trying to push the voice away. Shrunk put a hand on her shoulder. "It's true, though," he replied. This time, he gave a full smile.

"Really?"

Shrunk didn't have a chance to reply, since the lights turned down right then and the stage lit up. "Welcome to the Ebony Sands Theater!" a voice exclaimed. "I am proud to declare that the first production this stage will see, _Jested_ , is ready to begin. Please enjoy the show."

The lights on the stage turned off, and the audience applauded. When the lights came back on, there was a person standing on the stage, clad in red and purple jester attire. He looked up and out over the crowd.

"That's Sissel!" Gracie whispered to Shrunk. "That's why he couldn't make the showing!"

It was indeed Mayor Sissel, or someone who looked a lot like him. The person turned his back on the audience and began singing the opening number of the performance.

Gracie settled back in her chair. _I'm going to enjoy this._

 _"Concerts, not cavalcades, dear."_


	8. Chapter 8

Once the show was over, Gracie waved to Shrunk and started walking to her house. When she was a couple of yards away from the open area in front of the Ebony Sands Theater, she heard light footsteps coming toward her. She paused to let Shrunk catch up with her.

"Mind if I walk with you?" Shrunk asked.

"Not at all," Gracie replied, feeling the heat in her cheeks again. The two started off in comfortable silence, each one occasionally glancing at the other. Gracie wasn't quite sure why she was sneaking glances, but Shrunk still looked dashing in his blue suit coat. Maybe that was why.

The silence persisted until the two reached Re-Tail, the second-closest building to the Theater. Then Gracie cleared her throat and fully broke the silence. "I think it would be good if you forgave her."

Shrunk twisted his mouth in a grimace. "Do you really think so?"

"Yes." Gracie thought for a moment, choosing her words carefully. "If you don't, you may not be able to move on with life." She nodded. "I would know."

 _"What's that supposed to mean?"_

 _Not now, Mother. But… you._

"Hmm…" Shrunk started humming a quiet melody. It seemed like the "Nocturne" piece from _Carmen._ After a moment, he sighed sadly. "I want to, Gracie. I really do. But I can't find it in me to forgive her. I mean, I loved her like I promised, and she didn't uphold her end of the vow. What do you do when someone breaks their promise like that?"

Gracie glanced at Shrunk. His forehead was wrinkled in concern and worry, and he was staring at the path in front of him. She looked up.

"Come on. I'll treat you to hot chocolate," Gracie said, gently pushing Shrunk in the direction of the café. The door of The Roost chimed as Julian and Coco came out, laughing about something. Gracie caught the door before it closed all of the way, still herding Shrunk forward. Brewster smiled slightly as the two stopped in front of the counter.

"What would you like?" the pigeon asked.

"Dark hot chocolate with mint and whipped cream," Gracie replied, then nudged Shrunk forward. He mumbled something that nobody caught.

"Sorry… I didn't hear that," Brewster told him.

Shrunk breathed deeply and turned his gaze up. Gracie started at the intensity in his eyes. "Milk chocolate, almonds and hazelnuts and caramel, please. If that's all right."

"Coo… Of course." Brewster picked up two cups, filled each one from a different carafe of hot chocolate, then deftly tossed in the requested additions. With a swirl, he topped Gracie's hot chocolate off with whipped cream before handing the two cups over. "One thousand Bells, please…"

Gracie pulled a couple of coins from her pocket and handed them to Brewster. "Thanks, Brewster." She took her cup of hot chocolate and walked to a table, followed by Shrunk. He was sipping his hot chocolate already, bliss written all across his face. Sliding into a chair, Gracie set her cup down. Shrunk sat down in the chair across from her as she took a sip.

"That's good," Gracie muttered, taking another sip. "You can't beat Brewster in hot chocolate."

 _"Hot chocolate is for the peons, dear."_

Gracie ignored the voice.

Shrunk grinned as he put his cup down. "You speak truth, Gracie." He glanced at Gracie. "Thanks."

"No problem," Gracie replied. She took one more small sip, then set her cup down. "You wanted to know what to do when someone breaks their promise. I can't say."

"Oh."

"Only because there are so many different things you can do," Gracie explained. "Different situations call for different approaches, I think. But the most important thing to do is keep loving the person." She smiled sheepishly. "I may talk about forgiveness, but it's hard for me. My mother tried to make me like her, and it took for a time. I wasn't enjoying it, though. So I decided I would just disappoint her. This was just recently," Gracie added, seeing Shrunk's confusion. "That's why people said I was mean. Anyway, I'm working on ignoring her voice, but there's still some anger. I might talk about it, but I haven't thought about fixing it."

Shrunk nodded thoughtfully. "So you really do know what you're talking about."

Gracie chuckled. "Now I do. Earlier today, I didn't."

As the two took sips of their hot chocolate, Tom Nook and Sable entered the café. They giggled while trying to order drinks, then walked back out with take-out cups. Shrunk gave a lopsided smile. "Those two make me laugh. Who would have thought they'd ever get together?"

"Tom and Sable? I think it's cute," Gracie said.

"Oh, I do, too," Shrunk hurried to say. "I just didn't expect it."

"Ah, I understand." Gracie looked around the café and considered what to say. She knew that the previous conversation wasn't over yet, but she didn't know where to go next. Somehow, she needed to help Shrunk see that forgiveness was better, yet she would need to forgive to really help. Could she forgive?

 _Mother…_

 _"Yes, dear?"_

 _…I'm sorry. I wanted to make you proud. I never could. So I… just gave up. I just did what I wanted to do._

 _"We all fall to faults sometime, dear."_

 _…Never mind._

"All right. Thank you, Gracie," Shrunk said. Gracie looked questioningly at him. "I needed your help. But now I can forgive her."

"Just like that?"

Shrunk nodded. "That's something I've found myself to be good at. Once I decide to really forgive, it's quick."

"I wish I could do that." Gracie rubbed her cheek. "How do you do it?"

"I don't know," Shrunk replied. "I just… do. I think I must realize that I'm going to forgive, so I might as well do it quickly and save myself time and stress."

"Ah." Gracie chewed her lip, then forced herself to think. She didn't have time to think, though, because Shrunk stood up. "Do you have to go?" she asked, surprised at the disappointment in her words.

He smiled. "Unfortunately, I do. I need to be up at seven to help set up for K.K. Slider's charity concert." Shrunk turned to go. He must have changed his mind, since he turned back around. "Will I see you there? It starts at nine."

 _That wasn't what I expected to do tomorrow_ , Gracie thought. _I would like to see him again, though._ "I'll be there, but I might be late."

Shrunk's smile was so bright that it nearly blinded Gracie. "I'd like that. See you tomorrow, then."

Gracie watched as he drank the last of his hot chocolate, handed the cup to Brewster, thanked him, and headed out. She felt a goofy grin pull at her lips.

 _Okay, Labelle. I do like him. He's such a good guy._

It was three in the morning when she put her journal away and stretched out on the couch.


	9. Chapter 9

A quick stop at her floor of the _Emporium_ preceded Gracie's arrival at the charity concert. She put up a sign that read 'Closed For Today,' and then hurried off, past the amused Nooklings and startled patrons. Barely three minutes later, she found the charity concert starting.

Mayor Sissel had authorized the use of the plaza for the concert. The plaza was equipped with seats, refreshments, speakers, donation boxes, and K.K. Slider albums. His newest album, _The Color of the Sky_ , was selling fast, while his earlier albums were selling at a moderate rate. Near the tree, Shrunk stepped onto a box and tapped a microphone. Everyone in the area turned to listen.

"Thank you all for coming to the Ebony Sands Charity Concert!" Shrunk exclaimed. He smiled around at the participants. "As Mayor Sissel could not be here, I want to say a few words. If the mayor were here, he would give a stirring speech and we would all donate whatever Bells we could scrape together." There were scattered laughs at this. "But since he's not here, we most likely won't go bankrupt trying to help others. I still hope, though, that you will find it in your hearts to donate something. The proceeds from every album sale go to charity, as do any donations put in the boxes." Shrunk grinned and stepped down from the box. As he did so, he noticed Gracie watching him, and the barest hint of red was visible to the closest animals. Gracie couldn't see it, though. "Without further ado, may I present… K.K. Slider!"

Shrunk slid out of the attention of the crowd as K.K. Slider appeared. The dog walked slowly to the brick wall surrounding the tree, sat down, and started tuning a guitar. Slider tuned it for so long that the audience began to get restless. He looked up. "What are you all waiting for?"

"For you to play!" someone shouted from the back.

K.K. Slider's eyes widened. "Hey, that's cool. I didn't know. Well, if you want me to play, I will. What'll it be, man?"

"'A Reason'!" the same someone shouted.

"I can dig that. Let's play." K.K. Slider started strumming his guitar. The chords sounded out from the speakers, so everyone was able to hear. When he began to sing, his voice came out of the speakers as well.

Gracie was singing along to 'A Reason' when Shrunk popped up next to her. "You weren't late at all, Gracie."

"You should have seen what time I got to bed, though," she told Shrunk. "I barely got five hours of sleep last night."

Shrunk tilted his head to the side. "What were you doing?"

"Journaling."

"Ah… I envy you. I don't have the discipline for a journal." Shrunk laughed quietly, then tugged on Gracie's arm. "Come on. There's something I want to show you."

Gracie let herself be led away from the throng of animals, all of whom were singing, "You gave me something, a reason to love!" When Shrunk reached a table of cookies, he leaned toward Gracie.

"Cover your eyes," he whispered. He didn't continue leading her until she complied, and then he took her arm and led her farther away from the crowd.

Without her eyesight, Gracie couldn't tell a thing about where she was. That had always been true. Whenever she played blindfold party games when she was younger, she always lost.

 _"The elite have no time for foolishness like party games."_

Gracie grunted. Her mother had told her that after one birthday party, when she had complained about losing all the time. She pushed the voice aside and concentrated on what she knew.

There was grass under her hooves.

The river sounded like it was close.

Shrunk was still holding her arm.

She liked that. …She liked that? No. She loved that.

"You can open your eyes now," Shrunk said, letting go of her arm. She uncovered her eyes and looked around. They were standing on a small spit of land by the river. There was lush grass underhoof, and… nothing else. In the distance, she could see the charity concert in full swing.

"What did you want to show me?" Gracie asked. Shrunk wasn't one to lie, which made this all the more confusing. He hadn't lied… had he?

Shrunk sat down on the grass and beckoned for Gracie to sit next to him. When she had eased down onto the grass, he reached in his pocket and pulled out a small package. "This is for you," he said, handing the package to her. She gingerly took it; it seemed fragile. But it wasn't. The package was thick, somewhat rectangular, and rather heavy. There was a ribbon on the present, holding the paper on whatever was inside.

Gracie gave Shrunk a questioning look before taking the ribbon off. Then, pulling the paper off in one piece, she saw that it was a book. When she turned it over to see the front, she gasped.

It was an astronomy book.

"For me?" Gracie was hoarse, from shock and surprise and a lot of other emotions that she didn't quite know what to do with. She swallowed and opened the book. There was a bookmark at the place she opened to, a bookmark that read, 'So you can know the stars and not just like them.'Gracie felt tears welling up in her eyes as she saw the page the bookmark was on: 'The Stars and Their Names.'

Shrunk leaned back on his hands and looked up at the sky. A small cloud floated past. "For you. I remembered what we talked about that night, so… here you go."

Gracie couldn't stop herself from hugging Shrunk. He stiffened, and Gracie couldn't blame him. It was rather out of the blue, after all. After a moment, though, he relaxed and returned the hug. "Thank you," Gracie murmured. "I love it."

She let go of Shrunk. "I'm glad," the axolotl replied, a half-smile on his face. "Want to look at the stars tonight? You can try out your book."

"I would love to," Gracie said.

"Then I'll meet you at nine?"

"Sounds good to me."

"Great." Shrunk took a deep breath. Gracie wondered what he was doing. Was he steeling himself for something? She wasn't sure, and everything she could think of regarded him saying he didn't like her. Sighing, Gracie resigned herself to the fact that he would probably say he just wanted to be friends. "By the way, you're pretty special. May I take you out to dinner tomorrow?"

What?

 _What?_

 _"What?"_

"What?"

"May I take you out to dinner tomorrow?" Shrunk repeated, a little confused. "If that's not okay, then I won't."

Gracie answered his question by nodding and then, to his surprise, hugging him.


	10. Chapter 10

The dinner went very well. It went so well that, the next day, Gracie and Shrunk went to the Ebony Sands Museum. The day after that, they took a train ride to Larkrich, where Gracie gave Shrunk discounts at the local _GracieGrace_. The day after that, they visited the Ebony Sands Library.

The day after that, Gracie really needed to go to work for the whole day.

The top floor of the _Emporium_ had become incredibly popular. Animals from surrounding towns bumped shoulders with residents of Ebony Sands, all the while trying to find the right specialty item. Gracie was finding herself running out of furniture and, more surprisingly, clothes. Every day she could be seen talking on a telephone, negotiating with the manufacturers for more supplies.

It was obvious why her floor had become so popular. Gracie had started giving _good_ and _nice_ advice, instead of backhanded insults. If something didn't fit the patron, Gracie often could pull a fantastic alternative out of what seemed like thin air. She had also cut her prices a little bit so that patrons didn't leave in poverty. Her laugh was the new norm, and she liked hearing jokes from those who frequented her floor. Not only that, it wasn't unusual to see Shrunk sitting with Gracie. The other animals enjoyed talking about it with their friends. Gracie didn't care. She was happy.

* * *

After closing up, Gracie stepped nimbly down the stairs. She waved to Timmy and Tommy and left the _Emporium,_ then paused outside of the store. The stars were glinting in the night sky, more beautiful than diamonds or pearls.

"There's Aldebaran… Rigel…" Gracie said quietly, looking at each star in turn. "Sirius… and there's the Waterfall constellation!" She put her hooves on her hips and smiled up at the sky. "I think I need to design something based on this…"

Freya, carrying a handbag full of odds and ends, walked up to Gracie. "How are you today, Gracie?" Freya asked, stopping next to the giraffe. "You seem happy."

Gracie grinned and playfully tapped the wolf's shoulder. "I'm doing fantastically, Freya. Thank you! What's in your bag?"

"A lot of shoes," Freya replied. "I'm hoping Kicks either wants to buy them or shine them up for me."

Gracie nodded thoughtfully. "I'm sure he'd be happy to shine them. But you would have to pay him, you know."

"Oh, I know that," Freya assured her. The wolf rolled her eyes dramatically. "You're such a pain with your sarcasm, Gracie."

"I'm sarcastic?" Gracie inquired, fluttering her eyelashes in astonishment. She did it again, and Freya burst out laughing. Gracie soon caved in and started laughing along with her. "What's so funny?" Gracie wheezed, leaning against the wall of the _Emporium_. Freya wiped her eyes with the back of her paw.

"I have to go before I collapse from laughing," Freya gasped. She waved a weak farewell, which Gracie tried to return, then left for Kicks' store.

Gracie took a breath to try and calm herself, but it didn't work right away. She took another one, and that one slowed her pace down. One more breath later, and Gracie felt able to move. Pushing herself off of the wall, she headed in the direction of Club LOL. Shrunk, she knew, was working a double shift and trying to not fall asleep. The two of them had been up far too late the night before.

As she approached the Club, a figure came out of the shadows. It was Shrunk, who had been leaning against the door of _Nook's Homes_. He smiled at her, and she smiled back.

"I thought youwere working all of tonight," Gracie said as Shrunk settled into step next to her, giving her the subtle hint to walk wherever she wished. "What happened?"

Shrunk shrugged, hands in his pockets. "I told Dizzy I had a date with an angel, so he took over for me."

Gracie blushed, but Shrunk couldn't see it. She pushed him playfully. "Be careful what you say, Shrunk. I might get used to being called that."

"Then I'll have to tell you more often," Shrunk replied casually. "By the way, did you know that you have something stuck on your cheek?"

"What?" Gracie rubbed at both cheeks, but couldn't feel anything. "Where?"

Shrunk laughed lightly. "It's red, for some reason."

Apparently he _was_ able to see that blush.

Gracie snorted. "You've got something on _your_ face. It's red, too." As the two had passed through a shaft of moonlight, she had seen a red tint on his cheeks.

 _Was he blushing, too? Why?_

 _"Blush is unnecessary emotion. The truly talented get by without it."_

Gracie cringed, unconsciously pulling away from Shrunk. That memory was all too close to home. In high school, Gracie had come home one day and told her mother about her first crush. She had described the encounter in great detail, up to the inclusion of when she had blushed. Her mother had been unimpressed, and responded with that statement.

Shrunk stopped and looked at Gracie in concern. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Gracie murmured, shoving the memory aside. "It's… nothing."

Shrunk still looked concerned, but he started walking again. When the two had reached the bluff overlooking the ocean, Gracie sat down on one of the benches. Shrunk sat next to her and put his arm around her shoulders.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked her.

She shook her head, then nodded. "It's this voice… of my mother. She tried to make me like her, and it worked. I've told you that, though. Anyway, her voice started bothering me recently- which was made me decide to disappoint her- with things she'd said to me. It still comes every so often."

Shrunk nodded consolingly. He took her hoof in his hand and squeezed it. "The best animals have something like that, Gracie."

Gracie glanced at him in confusion. "What does that mean?"

"Well… I've found that the best animals have some recurrent issue that they're continually trying to overcome. They don't fall prey to it, they don't let it overwhelm them or dictate who they are, but they keep fighting. Then, when they finally overcome it?" Shrunk smiled gently. "It's an amazing day."

Gracie chewed her lip as she thought. "Do you… think I'll ever overcome it?"

"I would have left when you told me if I thought you couldn't. I'm still invested in you, Gracie. You can overcome it," Shrunk said confidently. "In fact, to prove it, I'd like to take you to _Le Amiar_ tomorrow night at nine. Well, I'd want to anyway. But does that help?"

The giraffe sniffed a little. "I _suppose_ so…" she said, drawing the last word out. She winked at Shrunk. "It does… thank you."

Shrunk got up off of the bench and held out a hand. Gracie took it and he helped her to her hooves. "Then we probably should get some sleep tonight. May I walk you home?"

Gracie fluttered her eyelashes, eliciting a laugh from Shrunk. "Oh, good sir, you may."

Shrunk laughed again.

When she got home, Gracie wrote a few lines in her journal before falling asleep.


	11. Chapter 11

Gracie was happily arranging furniture and clothing in her store the next morning when Labelle came storming in. Her eyes were blazing as she started shouting at Gracie.

"GRACIE! I can't believe you! I set you up on a date and I don't even get to know how it goes? Thanks a lot!" Labelle huffed and turned her back on Gracie.

Gracie hurried over to the hedgehog. "I'm so sorry, Labelle! I completely forgot. I'll tell you now, though. Will you forgive me?"

Labelle scoffed and didn't look at Gracie. "Too late..." Labelle glanced over her shoulder, then spun around, smiling. "…Not! So what happened?" She sat down on a stool to listen to Gracie's story.

"Well," Gracie began, grabbing a pile of clothes to sort, "I arrived at Ebbie and started getting ticked off at you, since you weren't there. I couldn't believe it. Then Shrunk arrived and we figured out that you'd set us up. So we went inside and sat down. By the way, did you know that Sissel was in the performance?"

"That wasn't Mayor Sissel. That was his identical twin, Shawn," Labelle said, resting her chin on her paws. "…I think. I'm still not sure, actually. Go on."

"We enjoyed the performance, then we walked home. We stopped at The Roost for hot chocolate, talked, and eventually we went home." Gracie picked up a shirt and scrutinized it. "I don't remember this design…"

Labelle threw her paws in the air. "Come on! That _can't_ be everything! Tell me what you talked about at the café!"

Gracie shook her head. "A lot of it was personal. I don't want to say anything Shrunk would rather keep to himself."

The hedgehog shrugged in defeat. "I tried. But I can understand that. Just so you know, I was at the performance."

"Were you on a date?" Gracie asked, picking up another shirt that looked like the mysterious one. "Or were you on a family outing?"

"Both, really," Labelle admitted. "Sable got six tickets to the performance, so we went together. Tom went with Sable, and they sat in the middle of the Theater. Mabel went with Blathers and they sat in the front and tossed popcorn at the guy playing Aphie. I…" She took a deep breath, then announced, "I went with Kicks."

Gracie stared at Labelle. "How did you pull that off?"

Labelle grinned. "I asked him. It was really easy. After I talked to you that day, I went over to his shop and asked him, point blank, if he would go on a date with me. We knew each other in Larkrich, so it wasn't too awkward, but he blushed and stammered. In the end, he agreed, so we went." Labelle tried to lean back but fell off of the stool. "Forgot I was on a stool," she muttered, climbing back to her paws and sitting down again. "We had a great time."

"That's wonderful, Labelle!" Gracie exclaimed. "Have you had any other dates?"

"We had one two days ago, and I'm going to the Museum with him tonight," Labelle answered, standing up and grabbing a sorted pile of shirts. "It was his idea, but… I like the bug exhibits." Gracie pointed to a display stand. Labelle went to the stand and stored the shirts on it. "Maybe the mole crickets decided to come up this time! That would be really nice!" Labelle put her paws on her hips, then rearranged the shirts. "What about you and Shrunk?"

Gracie chuckled and picked up a pile of shirts. "We had a date every day after the play, and tonight we're going to _Le Amiar._ Which reminds me, I need to pull my ball gown out of the closet." She stuck the shirts in their assigned place, then pulled a piece of paper and a pen from her pocket. She scribbled herself a reminder before sticking the paper back in her pocket.

"That place is impossible to get into!" Labelle yelped. "How are you going to pull it off?"

"Maybe we'll just stand and bug the maitre de until he lets us in," Gracie said.

Labelle laughed loudly. "I would pay good money to see that."

Gracie yawned as she sat down again. "Excuse me… whew." She rubbed her eyes. "I might take a short nap before tonight…"

"Unlike you, _I've_ been getting good rest," Labelle said pointedly. "But hopefully you can get more sleep soon." She picked up another pile of shirts, then set it down and shook her head in exasperation. "I completely forgot the second reason I came over here!" Labelle pulled a rolled-up paper from a pocket and spread it out on a table. "I think I figured out a good design for Sarah's wedding dress."

Gracie scooted a little closer and examined the design. The skirt of the dress was embroidered in a flower pattern, with a peculiar hitch on the right and left sides of the skirt. The veil was connected to the neck of the dress, with mesh lace making up the fabric of the veil. That wasn't it, though. The neckline was crop-cut, there was mistletoe stitching, and the sleeves were double-length. Those three things made the dress, and were enhanced by the skirt and veil. It was perfect.

"You kept the crop-cut, mistletoe, and double-length," Gracie said finally. She couldn't help but feel a little overwhelmed by the design, and that so much of it was what she felt needed to stick around. Sure, Labelle had wanted the crop-cut and double-length, but it could have changed. It didn't, though.

Labelle gave a little half-smile. "Of course I did. It wouldn't be the same dress without them. So…" she continued, drawing the word out, "do you like the design?"

Gracie shook her head. Labelle misinterpreted the gesture and sighed, but Gracie put a hoof out and stopped her. "I think it's perfect. This is Sarah's wedding dress."

"Woo-hoo!" Labelle shouted, jumping to her footpaws. She pumped her arm and spun around. "Whew! That was so stressful, but it's done!" She grabbed the paper and stuffed it in her pocket. "I'll put the measurements on it and then hand it over to Mayor Sissel. He's going to be so psyched! See you later, Gracie!" Labelle shot off and down the stairs as Gracie waved good-bye.

The giraffe stood and picked up another stack of shirts. She walked over to where those shirts sat and stored them on a shelf, then turned around and saw Redd standing behind her. He was carrying a stack of shirts. "Where do these go?" he asked, indicating the stack with his nose.

Gracie pointed to a shelf. Redd nodded and headed over to place the shirts on the shelf. "What was Labelle so excited about?" Redd questioned, straightening up from putting the shirts away. "She almost knocked me over as she ran out of the _Emporium_."

"We finally finished designing Sarah's wedding dress," Gracie answered, sorting a couple more shirts. "Labelle went to go finish up and hand the design off."

"Sarah is Sissel's fiancée, right?" Redd checked, accepting a pile of clothes from Gracie.

"Yep," Gracie affirmed. She picked up the mysterious shirts again and looked at them more closely. "I have no idea what these are."

Redd glanced over his shoulder. "Those are inkwell designs. I don't think you make them, but there's a relatively new designer who is trying to get high-end shops to sell his goods. The big deal about those is that each one is different."

Gracie looked at the inkwell shirts again. "Oh, I see. I wonder if I still have the shipping receipt for these. I'll worry about it later. Thanks, Redd."

"I'm the one who should be thanking you," the fox remarked, sitting down on the same stool Labelle had used.

"That's right! How did the gift go?" Gracie inquired, setting down the inkwell shirts.

She could have sworn he blushed furiously. "She liked it…" he replied quietly. Gracie gave him an incredulous look, and he chuckled. "All right, she really liked it. She liked it so much she gave me a hug. Then I asked her on a date." Redd smiled. "We went to The Roost for hot chocolate."

Gracie patted Redd on the back. "Good for you! Anything else?" He muttered something, but Gracie couldn't hear him. "What?"

"We're going somewhere tonight. She gets to pick," he repeated, blushing an even deeper red, if that were possible.

"Well, have a great time!" Gracie said exuberantly. "And keep me updated, please."

Redd got to his footpaws and murmured something. He hurried off to the stairs, then paused. Glancing back at Gracie, he smiled again. "Thanks, Gracie. I really mean that." Then he headed down the stairs.

Gracie folded her arms and nodded in satisfaction. "I bet things will go well for him. Now! Bring on the day."

Almost as if they'd been waiting for those words, Fauna and Victoria entered the floor.


	12. Chapter 12

_Le Amiar_ was the most upscale restaurant in Ebony Sands. Run by a grumpy squirrel named Mark, the restaurant boasted velvet carpets, fine hardwood floors, small tables for couples, large feasting tables for groups, and uniformed waiters and waitresses who excelled in carrying overloaded platters. Mark himself was one of the best cooks in the world, and he was assisted by other world-class cooks. Anyone in _Le Amiar_ could hear him bellowing orders whenever the kitchen doors swung open.

"Merengue, make sure that stew doesn't boil over! Gayle, what have I told you about using the green onions in brisket?!"

None of this phased Gracie. She was sitting in a very comfortable chair at a small couples' table, waiting for Shrunk. Her usual pair of sunglasses was at home; instead, she wore earrings made of pink pearls. Her dress was dazzling enough to make many of the males do double-takes; in fact, it was more of a ball gown. It was jet black, with a slightly flared skirt and sleeves down to her forearms. The neckline was stitched with silver thread. There were even lines of silver and gold thread throughout the gown itself. Even with all of this, though, Gracie didn't feel like it was fancy enough.

She picked up her stemware glass and took a drink of the cranberry juice. Swallowing, she set the glass back down. An alligator waiter stopped by the table and bowed.

"May I get you anything else, madame?"

"Some water, please," Gracie replied. The alligator bowed again, and as he walked away, Gracie glanced at the clock. It was almost nine-twenty, and Shrunk hadn't shown up yet. She was getting concerned.

The alligator came back with a glass and a carafe of water. He set both on the table, bowed, and left. Gracie poured some water into the glass and took a drink. It was cold, perfect for soothing her worries.

Except, it didn't soothe them.

The water exacerbated the worries, pointing out that, had Shrunk been on time, he would be pouring the water for her and laughing if he spilled any. Gracie took another drink, forcing herself not to look at the clock.

By the time she couldn't stop herself from looking at the clock, the carafe was empty. And it was nine-thirty.

 _"For us, the bell means good fortune. The clock means bad fortune."_

For once, something her mother said actually applied.

Gracie felt herself getting more and more upset as the minutes passed. When it was nine-forty, she was afraid that she would blow up at the waiter if he ever came by again. At nine-forty-five, she was almost ready to walk out of _Le Amiar_ and forget Shrunk.

At nine-fifty-five, Shrunk showed up.

He was wearing a dark blue suit coat, but he looked frazzled. He spoke to the maitre de, paid him, and hurried toward the table where Gracie sat. Pulling out the empty chair, he slid into it.

"I am _so_ sorry, Gracie. Dizzy couldn't come in tonight, and so I had to take over until Rudy could come. But I forgot, and when I remembered it was nine-forty-five. I'm so sorry, Gracie," Shrunk said, bowing his head in sorrow.

There was a little part of Gracie that realized Shrunk was really sorry. But that part was so quiet that the louder anger overwhelmed it. She stood up abruptly.

"Good night, Shrunk." She stalked off toward the door. Shrunk gaped after her, then gathered his wits back together and ran after her.

"Wait!"

Gracie paused outside of _Le Amiar_. She was furious. Her face was red, and not because of a blush. She had never been stood up before.

 _You weren't stood up here, either._

 _"Dear, remember that peons disappoint. That is all they do, aside from pay us."_

"Good _night_ ," she growled. Shrunk came up behind her and put a hand on her shoulder, but she pushed it off and spun to face him. "How dare you!" Gracie shouted, eyes on fire. Shrunk took a step back. "I waited for you! I believed you would come, and you _came late_! When I'm in love, I expect punctuality! Good night, Shrunk!" She turned on her hoof and stormed off.

She didn't see Shrunk reach out after her, nor did she see him wilt.


	13. Chapter 13

_You were right, Mother_ , Gracie thought, slamming the door to her house behind her. _I never should have gone against your wisdom. It only brought pain in the end. From now on, I will follow your advice._

As she walked to the kitchen, Gracie tripped on something. Growling, she got up and looked for what tripped her. It was her journal.

 _"Only peons must remember the past."_

 _I should get rid of this, then…_ Gracie tried to make herself open the book and tear the pages out, but she couldn't. Not yet. _…I'll do it later. Maybe tomorrow. But I won't write in it anymore._ She set the journal down on a bookshelf and continued into the kitchen, where she made herself some noodle soup. Sitting down at her table with the bowl of soup, she blew on the soup to cool it down.

The first spoonful of soup was hot. The second spoonful was cooler, and the third was even cooler. Gracie found, though, that the heat sucked up her anger. Cold determination replaced it. She nodded.

"Tomorrow will be better."


	14. Chapter 14

The next day, Gracie steadily drove away patrons. Where she had laughed, she stared pointedly. Where she had given helpful advice, she offered thinly-veiled insults. Where she had given discounts, she marked up prices.

By ten, her floor was deserted.

Gracie sat on a chair, thinking hard. She knew there was no reason to worry about patrons bothering her, since she had no patrons to speak of and no others would come. There was something that was bothering her. Shaking her head, Gracie reached into her purse and pulled out her journal.

 _Maybe taking care of this loose end will make things better…_ she thought sadly. Sadly? Why was she sad? She shook her head again and opened the journal to the first page.

Gracie gripped the page in her hoof, then paused. "September 2nd… I remember that…" She let go of the page and studied the writing. "'Today I got to go to Becka's house. Mother was disappointed, but she let me go anyway. I know she'll give me some weird advice later, but it doesn't matter. I hope Becka wants to play knights!'"

A small smile flitted across Gracie's face. "September 3rd… 'Mother was disappointed again. I wanted to go play football with some of the neighborhood boys, but she doesn't approve of muddy games like that. She let me go, though. I wonder why. She knows that Davy is really rough, even with girls. So why does she let me go? In fact, why does she let me do things she doesn't approve of?'"

A small tear welled up in Gracie's eye. She had forgotten about that journal entry. Turning the page, she saw the next entry was dated January 14th. "'I finally figured out why Mother lets me do things she doesn't approve of. She loves me. Isn't that bizarre? All that advice, and she still actually loves me! I asked her today, you know. She looked at me and said, 'Can the mother bird disregard her chick?' Then she rubbed my head and told me to go get some lunch. How strange, really.'"

Gracie closed the journal partway. She thought for a moment, then whispered, "Mother, did you love me?"

 _"Can the mother bird disregard her chick?"_

"But what does that mean?"

 _"I love you, dear."_

The tear fell from Gracie's eye and splashed onto the journal. She sniffed and wiped her eyes, then opened the journal again and flipped to another page. "December 12th… 'Mother found me watching the clouds today. She told me to get ready to go shopping, but I didn't want to. I still remember what I said: 'Mother, may I stay home and watch the clouds, please?' Then she looked at me and said, '...I'm d… you, dear.' She coughed in the middle, so I missed it, but I assumed it was 'disappointed.' She walked off, and I ran after her. I finally caught up to her and hugged her, crying. 'I didn't want to disappoint you, Mother,' I cried. I remember that. And I remember what she did and said next. She bent down and hugged me back. 'You didn't disappoint me, dear. I said that I was darn proud of you.' 'But I thought you wanted me to be like you!' I exclaimed. She laughed and squeezed me tighter. 'Of course I do. But, more than that, I want you to be like yourself. I wanted you to learn to ask to be yourself, and never be ashamed of that. So don't be ashamed. You're amazing, the way you are.'

"'I cried right then. She held me, then wiped my tears away. 'Now, go watch those clouds. Before I go shopping, will you teach me a couple of cloud names? I've heard you saying that certain clouds are citrus.' I giggled. 'Cirrus.' She winked at me. 'That's why I need your help, dear.'

"'I hope I always remember this.'"

Gracie sat back, tears streaming down her face. "Mother… was proud of me?" She shook her head, then wiped her eyes again. "How did I forget that? How?" A moment came to her mind, and she turned in her journal to the date. "September 1st… Miss Marcane spoke to Mother about my behavior in design class. I've not been very attentive. Mother defended me in front of Miss Marcane, and hugged me afterward. How can Miss Marcane do that? Doesn't she know that Mother is right? …Or is Mother putting on a front, so that she doesn't hurt my feelings? …I'm so confused. I think I'll try Mother's advice that I still remember. Maybe that will help…'"

"That's why…" Gracie whispered. "That's why I forgot…" She flipped to the most recent entries. Smiling, she read the whole account of the first date with Shrunk.

 _Mother?_

 _"Yes?"_

 _May I be myself?_

 _"I'm darn proud of you, dear. Don't be ashamed of yourself."_

 _…Thanks, Mother._

Gracie slammed the journal shut, placed it on a table, and shot down the stairs. There were a couple of animals whom she had been mean to, and she apologized as she ran past. The animals gave her curious looks, but she didn't have time right then to address them. She burst out of the _Emporium_ and ran to Club LOL.

"Shrunk!" she shouted, pushing the door to the Club open. The axolotl was sweeping the floor, humming quietly to himself. When she entered, he looked up. "I'm sorry, Shrunk."

Shrunk put the broom against the wall and folded his arms across his chest. "You yelled at me last night," he reminded her. She winced.

"I know. I'm so sorry, Shrunk. I… it was inexcusable, but I was just so mad that you were late, and my mother's voice was getting on my nerves, and it all combined to blow up." Gracie sighed. "I understand if you're upset with me. I yelled at you, and you were trying to apologize." She shook her head and turned to the door. "You're too good for me… I yelled, and you just took it. …See you around." Gracie put her hoof on the door.

Shrunk grabbed her other hoof. She started, then turned to look at him. "What are you doing, Shrunk?" she asked.

He stretched up on his tiptoes and kissed her cheek.

Gracie was stunned. She slowly reached up and rubbed her cheek, feeling heat rise up in it. "What… was that?"

"I forgive you," Shrunk said. He smiled at her, and she felt herself go unsteady. "And I'm as unsteady as you are," he confided, helping her to a chair before sitting down himself.

"You… what? You forgive me? After all that I did? Really?"

Shrunk shrugged. "Yeah. Remember when we talked about how I forgive? Well, I forgave you last night. I didn't want to lose you, and I hoped…" Shrunk took a deep breath, then let it out. "I hoped you would forgive me for being late. So I forgave, because I'm pretty sure I love you."

Gracie felt a tingle run through her hooves. "Shrunk… I do forgive you. I should have right away. You're so much better than I am."

The axolotl shook his head in disagreement. "No. You have your strengths, I have mine. It doesn't mean I'm better than you or anything. We're just a bit different." He took her hoof in his hand.

Gracie leaned against him. "Thank you… Shrunk?"

"Yes?"

"Can we try again, do you think? Not necessarily going to _Le Amiar_ , but everything."

"We don't need to retry everything. Just last night, I think. So…" He glanced at Gracie and smiled. "I managed to get the money back from the maitre de. Want to go tonight?"

Gracie smiled. "I would love to."

"Wonderful."

They sat in silence for a moment, then Gracie sat up straighter. "I beat my problem."

Shrunk hugged Gracie happily. Gracie returned the hug, knowing that this would be fantastic to put in her journal. Well, this and the date that night.


	15. Chapter 15

Gracie flipped the sign in the window of her floor from 'Closed' to 'Open.' Barely a minute later, _GracieGrace_ was packed to the brim with patrons. Rolf was testing a couch. Vivian had tried on a blue shirt and was admiring herself in the mirror. Whitney and Wolfgang were looking at a table and arguing about whether it would fit in Wolfgang's kitchen or not. There were so many patrons that Gracie briefly wondered if she would run out of items. Then she grinned and shook her head. Mayor Sissel had pulled a few strings to make sure she never ran out of stock again, and so far it was working.

"Gracie!" Rolf called over the hubbub. "I'd like to purchase this couch."

Gracie made her way over to the couch, only pausing to say hello to Elmer. She checked the label on the couch. "Forty thousand Bells for this couch."

Rolf dug in a pocket and pulled out the necessary coins. "Here you go. Thanks!" He tried to lift the couch but, when he couldn't, managed to get Rudy to help him carry it down the stairs. Gracie smiled as they left the floor.

"Gracie!" Redd exclaimed, popping up next to her. "Guess what?"

"You… turned around and you're now selling plastic containers?" Gracie guessed, winking at him.

Redd rolled his eyes, but there was a smile on his face. "Ha ha. No, I talked with Isabelle last night."

Gracie barely suppressed a rather uncharacteristic squeal. "How did it go?"

Redd reached in a pocket and pulled out a little box just enough so that Gracie could see it. "I'm going to ask today."

"Yes! Good luck, Redd! I expect you to tell me about it," Gracie said in mock sternness. Redd nodded and headed down the stairs.

Gracie chuckled and turned around to help Victoria. As she reached for a blue scarf on a shelf, someone spoke behind her and made her jump. "Hi, Gracie!"

The giraffe blinked, something she had recently developed to push down annoyance and shock. She grabbed the scarf and handed it to Victoria. Only then did she deign to face Labelle.

"I see you're still around," Gracie said imperiously. She gave Labelle a condescending stare, but couldn't stop a snicker from escaping her lips. Labelle snorted, and the two burst into laughter. "You're a terrible influence, Labelle!"

"Not as bad as you are," Labelle gasped, holding herself up on a side table. The hedgehog wiped tears from her eyes and pushed herself fully upright. "Whew… I'm okay now."

Gracie stopped laughing as well. Then she noticed who was standing next to Labelle. "Oh, Kicks! How are you today?"

The skunk grinned. "I'm awright, mate. I just came to check on the competition, you know?"

Gracie successfully managed to keep from breaking into laughter again. "If anyone should be spying on the competition, Kicks, it's me. I just can't move the same number of shoes that you do."

Kicks shrugged good-naturedly. "You're welcome to drop by anytime. I'd welcome your advice, actually. See, I'm having a problem with some shoe fabrics."

"Really? Is it nylon, or something else?" Gracie asked, intrigued.

"Well, the running shoes have been sub-par lately. I think that the polyester is getting cheated, but I'd like your opinion."

Gracie took a small notebook from her pocket. "I'm free tonight at 8. Would that work?"

Kicks thought for a moment, then nodded. "That would be perfect. I'll see you then, Gracie."

Labelle pulled Kicks away, teasing him about "going on dates with other ladies besides his girlfriend." Kicks, meanwhile, was protesting that Labelle was not officially his girlfriend. Gracie shook her head, amused at their relationship.

A lot of things had happened since Gracie had made up with Shrunk. As mentioned, Mayor Sissel had pulled some strings. But that wasn't all.

Redd had gone on four more dates with Isabelle; they had been dating for about a month now.

Rolf and Fauna were, quote-unquote, a couple, meaning that everyone called them one but they denied it vehemently. Fauna had also lent Gracie the book _An Interested Party._

Though no one knew how she had pulled it off, Labelle got Kicks to go on more dates with her. While they weren't officially boyfriend and girlfriend, most everyone knew that Kicks was finally moving on with life and had his eye set on the middle Able Sister.

Mayor Sissel and his fiancée, Sarah, were getting married that night. Sarah was beyond excited to wear her wedding dress, a dress she had proclaimed was "the most beautiful thing she had seen in a long time, besides Sissel." This sentiment made Mayor Sissel blush until he looked like a tomato.

Shrunk had finally sent his ex-wife a letter, and they were on speaking terms with each other.

And Gracie?

Labelle ran back to where Gracie was standing. "Is that… a _ring_ on your finger?"

Gracie nodded. Labelle was so excited that she couldn't speak, so she gave Gracie a hug instead before running back to Kicks.

"Hello, angel," Shrunk said, wrapping his arms around Gracie. She jumped a little bit (he had come from behind), then relaxed and turned to return the hug.

Shrunk had proposed.

And in a place of honor, the _Lu S_ shirt stood, red and yellow and white plaid, with a dark blue thread for the stitching.

 _"I'm darn proud of you, dear."_

* * *

A/N: Well well well! First things first, I really am grateful for all of the help from Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost that I received. I couldn't have written this without Them.

So, how about that? A couple of fun facts: I had to break Shrunk's marriage for this pairing to work; Gracie's real name apparently is 'Gracie' in this; I laughed so hard when I wrote Shrunk's joke about clothes shrinking; and I hope you enjoyed it! ...That last one isn't really a fun fact, huh? Well, anyway, I hope you enjoyed this great long story, and I hope you have a great day!


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